Christ’s Evolution of Moral Upbringing in the Light of Letters to Young People by Popes St. John Paul II and Francis

Abstract

The significant social, economic and cultural transformations taking place since the second half of the twentieth century reveal with increasing force that young people are diverging more and more from adults as far as ethics and morality are concerned. Contemporary reflection on morality is increasingly being expressed in the manifestation of individuals’ rights. This is the view of both the Letter to the Young People Parati semper by St. John Paul II (1985) and the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit by Pope Francis (2019). The above papal documents will become the starting point for answering the following question: What does Christ propose in terms of morality?

Man is capable by nature (in his heart) of recognizing good and evil. Morality is then bound to keeping the Law, which, while being positive, is limited in time. Man’s coming to faith causes, as Pope Francis points out, the exhaustion of the Law’s propaedeutic value and, thus, gives way to another authority. The Law is still in force (the commandments continue to exist), but it has no justifying power. The one who justifies is Jesus Christ. In this context, it is crucial to answer the question regarding the stage of moral maturation: do I still need the Law, or perhaps I am already living in the love and freedom of a child of God. These levels of morality cannot, as postulated by St. John Paul II in Parati semper and Francis in Christus vivit, be treated as separate or contradictory, because both are necessary. Hence, one cannot reject and despise the commandments and, at the same time, keep them, even though they are not absolute, because salvation is in Jesus Christ.